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Hong Kong to Bangkok – Cathay Pacific Business Class

John Carter-February 6, 2015

After a very long day of flying and starting my journey towards Asia from Los Angeles to Dallas at midnight, then continuing on Dallas to Hong Kong, my last flight of the journey was operated by Cathay Pacific to my final destination Bangkok, one of my favorite OneWorld Alliance partners is Cathay Pacific. I was excited to fly Cathay again because every experience with them is perfect from the ground crew being attentive, to the cabin crew delivering the best service possible. I arrived into Hong Kong at 6:30pm and I had about 4 hours to go for my next flight. The flight was operated by an A330 and I was flying Business Class which was pretty much wide open with a few seats taken. Before the flight, I decided to check out Cathay Pacific new lounge known as The Bridge and I thought it was stunning, I also took a shower and I thought the shower rooms were perfect – as they were spacious, toiletries were offered and much more. I will get into those two aspects on a later blog post – For now, I will focus on the trip report from Hong Kong to Bangkok.

Cathay Pacific A330

If you haven’t flown Cathay Pacific Business Class, the lay out of the 330 aircraft cabin goes as follow : 2-2-2 configuration. If you would like more information on the seats for this aircraft. Make sure to follow SeatGuru for more information on the best seats and info on the Economy Class of the A330. Keep in mind they are two versions of this aircraft which one features a two class service (the regional) and the three class A330. I flew the regional two class cabin aircraft.

Cabin Configuration via SeatGuru.

I was able to snap a quick photo of the seat on my return flight from Bangkok to Hong Kong so you can see how the cabin looks like. They are spacious and the seat is comfortable. This particular jet in Business Class doesn’t provide lie flat completely, it is an angled flat but It still did the trick to relax and get comfortable. They are spacious and when on the seated position you will have plenty of leg room. The controls to manage the seat settings are on the side of the seat where you will find the different options for the seat (recline, foot rest, etc).

Cathay Pacific A330 – Business Class!

During the boarding process

As the boarding process went on which took a bit of time because it seemed to be a pretty full flight, the cabin crew walked around the cabin offering the business class passengers a beverage of their choice. Tea, lemonade, orange juice and water were the drinks being offered and I went ahead with water as I was a bit thirsty. You will also get approached by several other crew members asking you if you want a hot towel and a blanket for the flight. They will open the blanket package for you and hand it to you. I thought it was a nice tough and incredible customer service on their part.

Cathay Pacific – Pre Departure beverage.

Hot towels are passed around the cabin from the flight crew prior to the boarding process ending.

Cathay Pacific – Hot Towel.

The boarding process ended and the front doors of the aircraft was shut. At that time, the in flight manager came on the PA to introduce herself and letting us know of our flight time to Bangkok which was 2 hours and 40 minutes then shortly after the pilot came on the PA to welcome us on board and to letting us know of our flight path and he will have more info as we reach our initial cruising altitude. After the announcements the security briefing began to play, at the time we were pushing back from the gate to begin our taxi into the runway. The taxi didn’t take very long and we were number one for take off. Our take off felt powerful and strong and a bit of a choppy climb out from Hong Kong. The views from above were stunning as we flew over The Victoria Harbour.

View after take off from Hong Kong airport

Victoria Harbor from above after take off.

After a few bumps and chops and leveling to our initial cruising altitude the cabin crew began to prepare the cabin for dinner. At the time the inflight manager came by my seat to introduce herself and welcome me on board. I find it refreshing when Cathay Pacific cabin crew takes the time to welcome OneWorld Emeralds on board and make you feel just at home when flying them. I thanked her and off she went to begin the dinner service. Shortly after, she came by my seat to deliver the menu for dinner and the wine list as well.

Cathay Pacific – Business Class menu.

Cathay Pacific starter and dinner options

Cathay Pacific – Starter and Dinner options.

Champagne and wine List

Cathay Pacific – Champagne & Wine list menu.

The meal service began and I couldn’t be anymore impressed by Cathay Pacific cabin crew. The service throughout the cabin is flawless and the rotation of the crew is perfect. The flow of the meal service goes so well that it doesn’t take very long for every passenger to receive their drink and starter course. Within the minute of the meal service began, I already had my starter on my table & I was ready to eat.

The starter and main course were simple but delicious. I have zero complaints about the meal – I truly enjoyed everything I was offered on board. The chocolate mousse cake for dessert was also delicious. The thai green curry was tasty and so were the veggies. It was also my first time trying smoked duck on board Cathay Pacific and it exceeded my expectations as it was very good as well. The other options looked very good as well and the portions were much bigger. Shortly after dinner, I decided to relax – the cabin crew brought me all my refreshments and set up table for me as well. Cappuccino, water and coke – The ride was going smooth and for the next 1 hour and 30 minutes I was relaxing.

Cathay Pacific – My on board refreshments.

Before I knew it – We began our descent into Bangkok. The captain came on the PA to give us our estimated time of arrival and how the weather conditions are looking in Bangkok. Shortly after the cabin crew started to walk around the cabin to prepare it for landing and collecting any trash on board furthermore the inflight manager came by my seat again to thank me for flying Cathay Pacific and handed me a premium lane pass for immigration and was I glad she did that? Immigration was a complete mess upon arrival. She asked me if I needed anything else to please let her know. Class act service by Cathay Pacific and outstanding service.

Premium Lane Pass for Immigrations provided by Cathay Pacific

PremIum Lane Pass.

Bottom line & overall experience

Cathay Pacific – Business Class cabin crew.

The service on board was simply amazing in every aspect possible. The crew couldn’t be more attentive, caring and friendly. They passed throughout the cabin multiple times to make sure everything was going well. They also stopped by my seat multiple times making themselves available for anything I needed throughout the flight.

The meals, they were fantastic. Simple but tasty and everything was edible with zero problems. Finding good airplane food now a days it’s very hard and Cathay exceeded my expectations with what they offered and the last of the meals.

The aircraft, it was my first time flying Cathay A330 Business Class and the aircraft was brand new, comfortable and so was my seat. I would have love to see lie flats on the regional A330 though the seat was comfortable and I enjoyed the ride.

Overall, flying Cathay Pacific is an absolute pleasure and everything on board was flawless.

I am looking forward to flying them again to Singapore, Kuala Lumpur and Hong Kong in the near future.

About John

Founder/CEO of TravelsbyJC. A World Wide recognized Travel Insider & Journalist. John's mission is to motivate, inspire and help others maximize their travels around The World while sharing first hand experiences throughout his travels.